No. 4 Washington tests Cal’s home winning streak

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Davis Webb #7 of the California Golden Bears calls a play during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Davis Webb #7 of the California Golden Bears calls a play during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, ... more

Photo: Harry How, Getty Images

Photo: Harry How, Getty Images

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Davis Webb #7 of the California Golden Bears calls a play during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Davis Webb #7 of the California Golden Bears calls a play during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, ... more

Photo: Harry How, Getty Images

No. 4 Washington tests Cal’s home winning streak

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Think about Cal’s offense expertly running out the clock to hold on to a one-score victory over Texas on Sept. 17.

Think about the Bears’ defense holding firm six times from inside Cal’s 11-yard line and completing a goal-line stand that beat Utah on Oct. 1.

Think about Jordan Kunaszyk’s interception that secured a double-overtime win against Oregon on Oct. 21.

Cal orchestrated each of those indelible moments on its home field this season, and the Bears are hoping to rekindle that kind of magic against No. 4 Washington on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

“I think our guys play with confidence at home,” Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said. “I think it’s an advantage that we practice in our stadium all of the time. There’s just a familiarity, a sense of confidence that comes from having an on-campus facility and being able to practice in it every day.

“You feel a sense of security, so when we play here, it seems like our guys have figured out ways to make plays in critical situations.”

Cal (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) has won five straight home games, including upsetting two ranked teams. But Washington (8-0, 5-0) isn’t just any ho-hum, Top 25 team. The Huskies are fourth in the nation in scoring offense and seventh in scoring defense, joining Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State as the only teams among the top 10 in both categories.

Washington tops the nation in turnover margin (plus-1.63 per game), having secured 19 takeaways and coughed up the ball only three times. The Huskies methodically beat opponents on both sides of the ball and have the athletes to make big plays when simply being steady isn’t enough.

“The most impressive thing about Washington is just the way they execute, whether it’s on offense, defense or special teams,” Dykes said. “They’re in the right place defensively, they don’t get fooled much, and they don’t give up big plays. They don’t turn the ball over, they don’t have many penalties, and they’re just a disciplined group that has good players who do a nice job of playing in the system.”

Cal wanted Washington’s Jake Browning, but lost a recruiting battle for the quarterback, who is second in the nation in passing efficiency, third in touchdown passes and fourth in yards per attempt.

Huskies running back Myles Gaskins leads the Pac-12 with 821 rushing yards, and the team’s top two receivers, John Ross and Dante Pettis, are fliers who can change a game with receptions or returns.

That’s got to be especially scary for Cal, which has lost seven safeties to injury this season and is down cornerbacks Darius Allensworth (groin) and Josh Drayden (shoulder). The beat-up secondary obviously hurts the Bears’ ability to defend the pass, but many of those players also were on special teams coverage.

Washington head coach Chris Petersen, whose .817 winning percentage is third among active coaches behind Urban Meyer and Jimbo Fisher, seeks what he calls “OKGs” — a.k.a., our kind of guys. Those types of guys don’t make a habit of looking past 16½-point underdogs in their home stadium.

“If Cal beats us, it’s not because we’re overlooking them. I can guarantee that,” Petersen said. “This is a prolific offense that scores a lot of points. We’re going to have to score a lot of points.”

Cal’s offense is eighth in the country in total yardage (536.5 per game) and second in passing offense (365.6 per game). The Bears are expected to get a bump this weekend with the returns of left tackle Aaron Cochran (foot) and leading receiver Chad Hansen (ankle).

Hansen, who has 59 catches for 770 yards and eight touchdowns, hasn’t played since leaving in the fourth quarter of the overtime loss at Oregon State on Oct. 8. He just completed his most active practice week since, and quarterback Davis Webb expects the return of his favorite target.

Webb is 259-of-415 for 2,914 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has handled two games without his summer catching partner and road roommate, but Webb knows he needs Hansen against a Washington secondary that he called “very similar, if not better” than USC’s.

“We’ve had a couple of good wins at home, but they’ve won every single game they’ve played,” Webb said. “It’s more about us playing our best game and giving ourselves a chance to beat a great Washington team.”

Story line: Cal has won five straight home games, including two against ranked teams, and is looking to defeat three Top 25 teams in the same season for the first time since 2002. It won’t be easy, as Washington is among the country’s top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

What to watch for

Washington has outscored opponents 107-7 in the first quarter of its games and 214-34 in the first half. Cal must get off to a fast start to keep its home crowd in the game and build confidence.

Huskies cornerback Sidney Jones usually lines up on the opposing offense’s right side, but it’d sure be fun if he followed Bears receiver Chad Hansen from sideline to sideline. Hansen has showcased some of the best ball skills in the country, and Jones is the Pac-12 leader in pass breakups.

As 16½-point underdogs, the Bears would love for the game to come down to a field goal, especially with kicker Matt Anderson. The junior has made 30 of his past 33 field-goal attempts and picked up a pair of accolades this week (Lou Groza Award semifinalist and NCAA Division I Academic All-District 8 first team).